I've mentioned in the past that I coordinate the speakers for a program at the college I work for. In our Earth Sciences school, that involves meteorology, and I have often had on camera meteorologists from The Weather Channel as guest speakers. My biggest recruiter at TWC is Kelly Cass, thanks to a long term friendship. It all began one day in the late spring of 1990 when we had a chance encounter on the Long Island Rail Road at Mineola. She was trying to get a ticket out of the vending machine, without much success. I happened to be waiting behind her, and asked if she needed assistance. She voiced her frustration at the recalcitrant machine, and I was able to get her a ticket and on her way. We rode into New York together, and a friendship was born. After a flaming hot start, it would deepen over the years, despite a several years long gap. The young college grad I first met was now one of America's most accomplished and well known meteorologists.
About a year ago, I had asked Kelly to come out to the college to lecture to our students. It was one of the last such events we hosted before everything shut down due to the Coronavirus. She readily accepted, as she always did. We would get together for these events several times each year. It was a great way for us to catch up, and we always enjoyed the renewed togetherness.
The day came for her arrival, and I went to meet her at the airport. She'd worked a morning gig at The Weather Channel, making an afternoon flight out of Atlanta. I watched for her to come down from arrivals, and was pleasantly surprised to see her in the same outfit she wore on the air that morning: short black skirt, green and black sweater, boots and hose. I'm not a big fan of pantyhose; I find they just get in the way, and I much prefer bare legs. Kelly has great legs, though, and looks stunning either way.
We shared a quick kiss and hug, then went to get her luggage. After the usual scrum at baggage claim, we headed out to my car. We usually put our speakers up at the Hampton near the college, and tonight was no exception, though I had upgraded Kelly's accommodations to a suite. Kelly smiled at me when I told her.
"I must be special," she said, her 1000 watt smile looking at me.
"More special than anyone," I flirted. "And it's a special occasion, too. Did you bring something elegant??"
"I did. I think you'll like it."
"If you're in it, I know I will." Kelly and I had been working together on the college lectures for about as long as she'd been at TWC, now almost 20 years. We didn't typically dress up, since my job does not require anything more than business casual most of the time, and Kelly wears the same outfits she wears on the air.
"So what's so special about this visit??" asked Kelly. I had been a bit cryptic about the need for more formal attire.
"Someone has an anniversary."
Kelly looked at me quizzically. "Who?? Us?? How many years have we been doing this??"
I smiled and took her hand as we drove to the hotel. "Us, but not us working in the lecture series."
"Us??" Kelly asked, her face searching for what significance the date might have.
"Us," I replied. "Though, actually, I'm a little early. It really isn't til June, but the way this virus is going, I'm not sure we'll be able to get together then." Kelly was still at sea about the anniversary. I kissed her as we waited for a light. "Us. In Mineola, on the train station platform. Someone was having trouble with that damn ticket vending machine they had there in those days."
I looked for the light to go on, which it did very quickly. "That's the anniversary??" Kelly laughed out loud, her blue eyes sparkling. "You remember the day we met??"
"How could I not?? Since then, we've become friends, lovers, had a baby together. That was one of the most memorable days of my life. You didn't remember??"
"I did," Kelly said with a frown. "I'd just lost track of the years. I wasn't really counting." She laughed. "So, how many??"
"You won't believe it."
"I know it's a lot." Kelly smiled. "Really. How many??"
"Thirty. It was June of 1990." I paused a moment. "Oh, do you want to hit dinner first, or check into the hotel??"
Kelly thought a moment. "Let's get dinner. I haven't had anything since I left Atlanta."
I headed for a local steak place, only a few minutes away. Our conversation continued while we went inside. "How did we let 30 years go by??" asked Kelly, a little bewildered by that fact.
"It goes by faster than you think. I remember graduating high school, and getting my first alumni news. I looked at the photos of the guys at their 25th, thinking, those are the 'old guys.'" Kelly laughed. "It's not so funny. In 2002, I got a call from one of the guys I graduated with, asking if I was coming to our 25th. I thought, what have I been doing for 25 years??"
"That was a shock, wasn't it??" said Kelly, still laughing.
"It was a real wake up, I'll tell you. And, that was almost 20 years ago. I'll be out 45 years before much longer.
Kelly, still smiling, said, "Yeah, when did we get so old??"
"That's easy for you to say. You get more and more gorgeous every year."
Kelly blushed. "Oh, stop!!"
"No, really. I mean, you started strong-I thought you were really pretty the day we met, but you've just gotten more and more attractive as you've aged."
Kelly was beaming. "I never thought I'd be hearing that in my 50's," she said, taking my hands across the table. "I was afraid I'd be all worn out by now."